Capitals vs Rangers Prediction 12/31/25 NHL Picks Today

The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals meet Wednesday in NHL action from the Capital One Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Capitals vs Rangers Prediction.

New York Rangers Recap

The New York Rangers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 3-2 OT loss at the hands of Carolina last time out to sit at 19-17-5 this season. After this game, the Rangers will head on the road for a game against the Florida Panthers.

Rangers Lose Back-To-Back Games

Artemi Panarin has 39 points with 14 goals and 25 assists while Adam Fox has 26 points with 23 assists. JT Miller has 22 points with 10 goals and 12 assists while Will Cuylle has 23 points with 10 goals and 13 assists and Mika Zibanejad has 29 points with 12 goals and 17 assists. Alexis Lafreniere also has 20 points with 12 assists as well this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 16-12-4 with a 2.51 GAA and a .910 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 3-5-1 with a 1.79 GAA and a .937 save percentage in goal for the Rangers so far this season.

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Rangers have won five of their last six games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Capitals have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Rangers’ last 15 games.
• The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.

New York Rangers Player Prop Facts

• Vincent Trocheck has scored the last goal in three of his last four appearances with his team as an underdog against the Capitals.
• Will Cuylle has scored a goal in four of the Rangers’ last five games as road underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Artemi Panarin has recorded at least one assist in each of the Rangers’ last seven games as road underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Vincent Trocheck has scored two goals against the Capitals this season – equal-most against any opponent.

Washington Capitals Recap

The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to bounce back from their 5-3 loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers last time out to sit at 20-14-5 this season. After this game, Washington will head on the road for a game against the Ottawa Senators.

Capitals Drop 7 Of Last 9

Tom Wilson leads Washington with 37 points including a team-high 19 goals and 18 assists while Dylan Strome has 31 points with 8 goals and 23 assists. John Carlson also has 29 points with 8 goals and 21 assists. Aliaksei Protas has 28 points with 14 goals and 14 assists while Jakob Chychrun has 30 points with 15 goals and 15 assists and Alex Ovechkin has 33 points with 15 goals and 18 assists. In goal for Washington, Logan Thompson has gone 15-10-3 with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 save percentage while Charlie Lindgren is 5-4-2 with a 3.07 GAA and an .888 save percentage so far this season.

Why the Washington Capitals will win

• The Capitals have won nine of their last 10 home games against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Rangers have lost four of their last five day games at Capital One Arena.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight day games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Capitals have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight day games against opponents on a losing streak.

Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts

• Aliaksei Protas has scored a goal in each of the Capitals’ last five games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Tom Wilson has recorded an assist in each of his last seven appearances with the Capitals as home favorites.
• Ryan Leonard has recorded two assists against the Rangers this season – equal-most against any opponent.

Total Goals Facts

• Nine of the Capitals’ last 10 home games against Metropolitan Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Five of the Rangers’ last six road games have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the last three games between teams from the same division have gone UNDER the total goals line.

Capitals vs Rangers Prediction

I’m on the Rangers in this game. The Rangers have been far better on the road this season, and the Washington Capitals have been really in a slump lately. I think the Rangers need to take advantage of spots like these when good rivals are down, especially teams that they may have to leapfrog later in the year in the playoff race. I’ll roll with New York on the road here.